The Beast
by SiriusMarauderFan
Summary: Charlie falls in love with another world. Soulmate/Space!AU (Star Trek!AU but you don't need to know that universe)


**Author's Note:** Many thanks to Liza for betaing and helping me work out the ending. Apparently there will be a sequel, because she demanded it. :P

Written for...

The Hunger Games: Fanfic Style III. _Prompts:_ Impossible, Neville Longbottom, Parvati/Lavender, Space!AU, "I can't." / "Yes, you can." / "Oh, look, your words of affirmation have magically made it possible."

* * *

 **The Beast**

 _2,436 words_

* * *

Charlie wobbled to the Medbay on shaky legs as he listened to the countdown over the loudspeaker.

"Five minutes until we enter Hogwarts' atmosphere," the ship's pilot announced. "Brace yourselves for minor turbulence."

Charlie grimaced. He had felt every little bump and turn the ship had experienced for the last hour. He wasn't sure how much more he could handle.

He stumbled through the Medbay's doors and nearly collapsed onto an empty bed. "I'm dying," he moaned.

Percy, the Phoenix's doctor, glanced over from where he was administering Ensign Longbottom's inoculations.

"You're late. You were supposed to be here for your physical two hours ago."

"I was busy getting the equipment ready and trying not to vomit." Charlie groaned as the ship shook and he felt another wave of nausea.

"Don't be so dramatic," he brother admonished. "You're free to go, Ensign."

"Thank you, Doctor," Neville said, heading for the doors. "See you in the transporter room, Charlie."

Charlie mumbled his reply, more interested in the hypospray his brother was preparing.

"I don't understand why you bother working on a ship if you can't handle it," Percy muttered, injecting the hypospray into Charlie's neck.

"I love flying. My stomach doesn't." He sighed in relief as his nausea dissipated.

"You're still going to have to do the physical, you know. This doesn't get you out of anything."

"I'm fine, Perce."

"You're going to an alien planet for the first time. I'm not being held responsible for you coming down with some incurable virus. Physical, and then inoculations."

:-:

Charlie was just leaving the Medbay when he was summoned to Transporter Room #3.

Neville and Padma were already there, dragging their equipment onto the transporter under the supervision of their captain. Charlie wordlessly moved to help them but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Cleared for travel, Weasley?" Captain Ridgebit asked, his dark eyes scanning over Charlie.

"Yes, sir. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"That's what I'm afraid of. If I hear from your brother that you left without being medically cleared, I'm making sure you're grounded for the next year. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Between the three officers, they managed to get the transporter loaded in record time and readied themselves to beam down to the surface of Hogwarts.

"I expect each of you to check in at 18:00 hours every night, are we clear?" A chorus of "Yes, sir" echoed through the room. "And, Patil, make sure your sister comes back this time."

"Yes, sir. Energize."

:-:

Charlie could hardly contain his excitement as he found himself standing in a courtyard surrounded by native people of Hogwarts. It wasn't Charlie's first visit to an alien planet but it was by far the most memorable. As a zoologist, he had devoted his life to studying about creatures of all kinds, but since all the creatures on Earth had already been studied, he'd taken to the skies.

The exploration of Hogwarts was still new and Charlie was honored to be one of the first science officers allowed to visit the planet and spend time with the sacred creatures there. Even from the courtyard, Charlie could see the creatures soaring high in the distance, and he was in awe of them.

"Dragons," he said reverently. Neville nudged him.

"You'll get us in trouble," the ensign whispered.

Charlie hadn't been with the Phoenix during its first encounter with the Hogwartians, but from what Padma had told him, they were a proud species that disliked any comparison to their neighbouring planets. This was difficult for Charlie to comprehend, as the whole planet - creatures and people included - reminded him of the fantasy novels he was so fond of as a child.

Padma stepped forward and bowed to the man whom Charlie assumed to be the leader of the planet. He could have easily been over a hundred years old. His skin, a faint blue, was heavily wrinkled. Nevertheless, he towered over Padma as he approached her, his long dark hair sweeping back to reveal pointed ears. He was exactly as Charlie had imagined elves to be.

"Lieutenant Patil. I would welcome your team to Hogwarts, but it seems you have come at the most inconvenient of times."

"Has something happened, Chancellor Scamander?"

"Your sister, whom I allowed to stay for an extended time to better study the flora and fauna, has stated her desire to stay at Hogwarts."

Charlie didn't know Parvati very well. She was a botanist, and though he was frequently on the same ships as her, they ran in different circles. Still, to ask to stay on a planet that was still early in talks of joining the Federation was risky.

"I'm sure my sister meant no disrespect, Chancellor," Padma soothed.

"This was not our concern. It is forbidden for foreigners to reside on Hogwarts unless they become mated to one of our own. I understand your sister has also expressed interest in a young farmer, but I must insist you make it clear to her that it is impossible for her to stay beyond your visit here."

"I will, sir, and I apologize for any trouble she's caused."

"Let us put this behind us. I have guides ready to take your team wherever they wish."

:-:

"Hogwarts has a vast range of species, from the small insect to the mighty beasts. The Chancellor has a selection of all creatures here in his private compound. Do you have a preference for where we begin?"

Charlie liked his guide. Draco, as he'd introduced himself. The young man - did age even work the same on Hogwarts? - had barely spoken a word since they left the courtyard, but Charlie didn't miss the way the alien's eyes roamed over his body when he thought Charlie wasn't paying attention. It helped that he was handsome, with long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail and grey eyes that brought out the purplish tint to his skin.

"I'd like to see those up close please," Charlie said, pointing to the creatures he could still see flying in the distance.

His guide followed his eyeline and said a word the universal translator couldn't identify.

"What was that?" Charlie asked.

The guide said it again, slower this time, but it met Charlie's ears as the garbled native language of the Hogwartians.

"My translator doesn't know what to make of that."

"It is the name of the beast. They are deadly if you do not watch your step."

"May I see one up close?"

The alien nodded, seemingly unpaved by the request. "The thrill-seeking of the human race has not been exaggerated."

Charlie chuckled, shrugging. "I wouldn't call it that exactly. I've wrestled alligators and slept amongst a lion or two, sure. But I've also studied birds and fish and any number of animal in the name of science. All animals are fascinating."

"On this we agree. It has been my dream since I was a small child to work with the beast. Only the strongest and bravest may go near them. It is a great honor to have the position of keeper."

"Are you their keeper?"

"No. I am the keeper's apprentice. Come, he will like you."

Hagrid, the hefty beast keeper, didn't look much like the other Hogwartians at all. He had their height, but where their skin was a light blue, his was almost navy. His dark hair was a tangled mass and not at all sleek and well-kept as the others'.

He welcomed Charlie to the beast's sanctuary with a grin and a firm handshake.

"Glad ter see someone else takin' an interest in these beauties."

"Yes, sir. I would love to study these creatures, to learn everything I can about them, if you're willing to teach me."

"Of course, of course."

Hagrid pulled what appeared to be some type of flute from his belt and began to play a short tune. In seconds, the red beast that had been circling high above them landed by Hagrid's side and Charlie was able to take in the full magnificence of the creature.

It was twice the size of the dirt-monsters from Uagadou, which was previously the largest alien species Charlie had ever worked with, and were in their own right much larger than an elephant. Large red scales covered most of the beast's body. They shimmered in the sunlight and gave the illusion that the creature was on fire.

Its head, bigger even than Hagrid, reached out and nudged at his keeper. Hagrid chuckled and pulled out a large piece of raw meat from a satchel, throwing it at the beast.

"They're extremely smart creatures," Hagrid told Charlie, smiling proudly at the red beast. "The Chancellor keeps two here fer observation.

"He's beautiful," Charlie breathed, falling more in love with the creature the longer he looked at it.

He pulled out his PAD at began to take notes about it's movements and the way it interacted with Hogwarts. And from the corner of his eye, he could see his alien guide watching him closely.

:-:

By his second day on Hogwarts, Charlie had taken to calling the magnificent creatures dragons, because he couldn't bare to call them beasts. Hagrid had seemed to like the name, and Draco wasn't hard to convince.

Draco took him to meet with Rolf, the Chancellor's grandson, and his wife. They managed the enclosures for the smaller critters and welcomed Charlie in to observe them, but nothing captured his attention the way the dragons had.

On the third day, Hagrid allowed Charlie and Draco into the nursery, which was a series of pavilions where the young creatures were kept when they needed assistance. Charlie spent his time there watching as Draco bathed and cared for a tiny dragon baby with silvery scales.

"I wish I could stay here forever," he murmured, quickly noting the way young dragons could already flap their wings.

"It is impossible," Draco told him matter-of-factly. "There is no point in wishing differently."

"Why?" Charlie wondered. He'd heard from Padma all about the chaos her sister had created in falling in love for the farmer.

"We do not allow other species to live on Hogwarts. Many years ago, when the Chancellor was a young man, the Durmstrangeons invaded Hogwarts. They are a large and fierce people. They depleted our resources and killed the beasts - the dragons, for sport. Hagrid is a half breed, for his mother was a Durmstrangeon."

"So your people are scared of letting foreigners in again."

"Yes. It took us a decade to get our planet back, and a century later we are still cleaning up the mess the Durmstrangeons left us. Now we only allow those who are mated to our kind, for they will not harm the land of their soulmate."

"Then why are your people so averse to Parvati? She seems adamant that she's in love."

"Love is not enough." Draco rolled up the sleeve of his tunic to reveal a tattoo of a small, black egg. "This is my soulmark. It is tradition for a Hogwartian to receive a mark at the age of seventeen. When I meet my soulmate, my mark will change with the time I spend with them. This egg will hatch into something wonderful, and I will know they are the one for me."

Charlie sat in awe of mystical tattoos. "Anyone can get a soulmark?"

Draco nodded. "The marks will only activate once both soulmates have one."

That night when he returned to the embassy where his team was staying for the week, Charlie hurried to locate Parvati. She was sitting with Neville, pouring over the information they had gathered from the gardens that morning.

"Parvati, could I speak with you for a moment? I have an idea for how to help you."

:-:

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"Oh, look, your words of affirmation have magically made it possible."

Charlie rolled his eyes at his cranky friend. "It's either this, or you go home without her at the end of the week."

Parvati frowned, her finger tracing over the seed pattern she had selected from all of possible tattoos. On her other side, a pretty Hogwartian woman took her hand, smiling.

"I want to be with you, Parvati. I pray that we are soulmates so that you may stay. Or perhaps they will let me go with you, to explore more planets!"

Charlie took a step back, watching with silent envy as Lavender coaxed her love into the chair.

"The Chancellor will approve of this," Draco told him quietly. "He likes all of you."

Charlie smiled, and turned his attention to the designs on the wall as the tattoo artist began to apply Parvati's new mark. A brilliant red egg caught his eye immediately.

"Is that a dragon egg?" he asked. Draco nodded.

"Yes. All creatures are available."

There was no turning back at that point. He may not have been able to take a real dragon home with him, but at least he would have the egg, no matter if it led him to his soulmate or not.

:-:

"There is no doubt that the two of you are soulmates," the Chancellor announced happily, staring down at the two marks before him. "Congratulations, young one, you are free to remain on Hogwarts for as long as you wish."

Charlie beamed at him, and then down at the tiny red dragon on his arm. Seeing his tattoo hatch only a few days after receiving it was unexpected to say the least, but he couldn't imagine being any happier than he had been, spending time with Draco in the dragon sanctuary. He only hoped Hagrid would be willing to hire him on after he sent in his resignation to Starfleet.

"You're staying, aren't you?" Padma confronted him the moment he left the meeting with the Chancellor. Charlie couldn't keep the smile off his face, even though he was upset at have to leave his crew behind.

"I can't leave now. There's so much more I can learn here." He watched Draco wander away and Charlie lowered his voice so his soulmate wouldn't hear. "And I can't imagine Draco agreeing to join Starfleet."

Padma chuckled. "That's true. We're off to Earth after the Chancellor formally agrees to join the Federation. Lavender wants to meet the family and she's rather excited about traveling, so she needs to go through the Academy first.

"I'm happy for them." He sighed wistfully, watching as Ridgebit lead the team into the meeting with the Chancellor. "Promise you'll come for a visit sometime?"

"Of course. I'm sure there's more we can all learn from Hogwarts."


End file.
